1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for storing pills. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for storing pills and indicating quantity of the pills to be taken at times specifically indicated thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for pill storage devices have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,335 to Dangles et al. teaches a pill dispensing container having upper and lower pill storage tiers each having twelve radial pill storage compartments each having an embossed hour indicia of the day for 24 hour use. Each tier is covered by a rotatable dial cover having a generally horizontal opening for pill insertion and a vertical opening for pill discharge clockwise one compartment of the horizontal opening. Each tier has a tier rotating tab on the horizontal surface of the tier dial cover adjacent the horizontal opening and a tier stop permitting only clockwise movement of the tier dial cover and being on the underside of each dial cover horizontal surface adjacent the tab and horizontal opening. A pair of pedestal members project from the vertical side of the container base below the lower tier for supporting at right angles to the pill dispensing position in balanced condition the dispenser container in a general vertical storage position so as to view the indicia in vertical elevation on the slope bottom walls of each tier.
A SECOND EXAMPLE U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,611 to Graves teaches a product dispenser for dispensing products, such as tablets, on a time related schedule, or randomly as desired, comprising a generally cylindrical product receiving magazine having a plurality of axially spaced groups of circumferentially spaced, radially outwardly opening, product receiving pockets which are generally in axial alignment with the pockets of adjacent groups to form circumferentially spaced rows of pockets; a plurality of product retaining rotatable rings mounted on the magazine in radial alignment with the pockets for retaining the tablets in the pockets; each ring including a tablet dispensing aperture therethrough adapted to be moved into alignment with a selected one of the pockets; a plurality of axially spaced indicia, representing the days of the week, lying in the planes of the groups of pockets; and circumferentially spaced indicia, representing different time periods throughout the day, generally longitudinally aligned with the rows of pockets.
A THIRD EXAMPLE U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,376 to Wrennall teaches a dial pill box that comprises a container having 28 arcuate storage compartments for pills and the like, a pair of lids, and a central pivot pin which pivotably holds together the container and the lids. The pivot pin enables the containers to be assembled by snapping the lids onto the container and over the pivot pin and to be disassembled by pinching together the resiliently bifurcated ends of the pivot pin and pushing these ends toward the lids and through their central holes. After removing both lids, a user can fill the container with a week""s supply of pills, capsules, tablets, and the like of pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and/or minerals. He can spin the upper lid independently of the lower lid in one direction, so that none of the four segment apertures in the upper lid coincide with the access sector of the lower lid, whereby the dial pill box is in position for storage and transportation. By spinning both lids together in the opposite direction, the user can place the access sector in the lower lid over a selected storage sector, having four storage compartments, which is marked for the desired day of the week. By then spinning the upper lid again in the first direction, he can spirally place a selected segment aperture, corresponding to the selected time of day, over the access sector and then remove the pills therefrom.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,166 to Crowther teaches a pill storage and dispensing container that has a lower storage unit with a plurality of radially arranged individual pill storage compartments. An upper storage unit positioned directly above and nestled within the lower unit also has a plurality of similarly arranged storage compartments as well as one bottomless compartment. A top cover is positioned directly above the upper storage unit, and a dispensing opening in the cover is arranged to communicate with the various compartments in the upper unity as well as with the bottomless compartment and the various compartments of the lower storage unity as the cover is rotated relative to the storage units. A hub shaft releasably interconnects the upper and lower storage units and the top cover while allowing the storage units and cover to rotate relative to one another. Twenty-eight individual storage compartments are provided in a compact container which enables pills to be dispensed four times per day over a seven day period.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for pill storage devices have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
ACCORDINGLY, AN OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a device for storing pills and indicating quantity of the pills to be taken at times specifically indicated thereon that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a device for storing pills and indicating quantity of the pills to be taken at times specifically indicated thereon that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a device for storing pills and indicating quantity of the pills to be taken at times specifically indicated thereon that is simple to use.
BRIEFLY STATED, STILL YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a device for storing pills and indicating quantity of the pills to be taken at times specifically indicated thereon that includes a housing and a dial rotatably mounted to the housing. The housing has a plurality of drawers for storing different pills. The dial includes an axle that is rotatably mounted along the top of the housing, a pair of end caps that are disposed over the pair of ends of the axle, respectively, quantity indica disposed in line along the axle and aligned with the drawers, respectively, and time indica that are disposed on the longitudinal side wall of each end cap and aligned with the quantity indica associated with that time so as the dial is rotated to the specific time indica, the quantity india in line therewith indicates quantity of the pills to be taken from the drawers aligned therewith.
The novel features which are considered characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawing.